Odell Beckham Jr. joins practice, closes in on full return

Odell Beckham Jr. participated in 7-on-7's at Tuesday's practice

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Odell Beckham Jr. watch continued today, with the Giants’ top draft choice taking further steps toward a full return to the field. The rookie wide receiver has missed most of camp with a strained hamstring.

“It’s kind of one of those things where you can’t really just jump back in and go full-go,” Beckham said. “You kind of have to ease into it. It felt good to be able to get out there and do at least a little bit of something. You kind of feel like you’ve been caged and you’re just waiting to get out. Just trying to get back out there and do it safely, but at the same time, as fast as I can.”

Coughlin is eager to get Beckham back on the field.

“He’s fast,” Coughlin said. “He’s a gifted receiver. He can be a punt returner. He can be a kick returner. He’s smart, he’s a smart kid. He’s competitive.

“Let’s get him on the field first. Get him out there to realize how we’re going to use him on the field. We certainly had good thoughts when we drafted him, and I don’t see anything to discourage that right now. We just need him to get practicing.”

Moments later, Coughlin was asked his thoughts about the Giants’ punt returners.

“Beckham will be a big part of it once he gets back,” Coughlin said. “We have a lot of people trying it. I think that once we get Beckham back out there, I think it’ll crystallize for us.”

Hamstring injuries often defy definitive return dates, but Beckham sounds as if he soon expects to be a full participant.

“It feels good,” he said. “It feels good to be able to move around. Like I said, it’s not 100 percent, it’s not full strength. I couldn’t even give you a percentage of how I was running yesterday, but slowly but surely, it will get back to where it needs to be.”

Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo he is trying to be more patient and calm with the players than his personality would normally allow. Coughlin was asked if being around the always-composed Eli Manning helps in that regard.

“I would think that would be a good thing to work on if you’re around Eli,” Coughlin said. “I think if anything rubs off, it’ll be that. There are times when it’s nice to say that as a coach. But the bottom line, do you really want that? Probably not. It’s probably why he’s the quality coach that he is. Things never come as fast as you want them to come. You’re never happy, there’s always something that has to be addressed. That’s just goes with the territory.”